PREFACE TO 1997 STATE DEPARTMENT HU

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

30 January 1998 

TEXT: PREFACE TO 1997 STATE DEPARTMENT HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 


(Outlines history and purpose of annual report)  (960)


WASHINGTON -- The State Department's annual report on international
human rights was submitted to Congress January 30, in compliance with
long-standing U.S. law.

Following is the preface to the 1997 report, which outlines the
history and purpose of these reports, as well as the methodology used
in their preparation:

(begin text)


PREFACE

1997 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTS


Why The Reports Are Prepared


This report is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State in
compliance with sections 116(d) and 502(b) of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, and section 505(c) of the Trade Act of
1974, as amended. As stated in section 116(d)(1) of the FAA: "The
Secretary of State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate,
by January 31 of each year, a full and complete report regarding the
status of internationally recognized human rights, within the meaning
of subsection (A) in countries that receive assistance under this
part, and (B) in all other foreign countries which are members of the
United Nations and which are not otherwise the subject of a human
rights report under this Act." We have also included reports on
several countries that do not fall into the categories established by
these statutes and that are thus not covered by the congressional
requirement.

The responsibility of the United States to speak out on behalf of
international human rights standards was formalized in the early
1970's. In 1976 Congress enacted legislation creating a Coordinator of
Human Rights in the U.S. Department of State, a position later
upgraded to Assistant Secretary. In 1994 the Congress created a
position of Senior Advisor for Women's Rights. Congress has also
written into law formal requirements that U.S. foreign and trade
policy take into account countries' human rights and worker rights
performance and that country reports be submitted to the Congress on
an annual basis. The first reports, in 1977, covered only countries
receiving U.S. aid, numbering 82; this year 194 reports are submitted.

How The Reports Are Prepared


In August 1993, the Secretary of State moved to strengthen further the
human rights efforts of our embassies. All sections in each embassy
were asked to contribute information and to corroborate reports of
human rights violations, and new efforts were made to link mission
programming to the advancement of human rights and democracy. In 1994
the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs was reorganized
and renamed as the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
reflecting both a broader sweep and a more focused approach to the
interlocking issues of human rights, worker rights, and democracy. The
1997 human rights reports reflect a year of dedicated effort by
hundreds of State Department, Foreign Service, and other U.S.
Government employees.

Our embassies, which prepared the initial drafts of the reports,
gathered information throughout the year from a variety of sources
across the political spectrum, including government officials,
jurists, military sources, journalists, human rights monitors,
academics, and labor activists. This information-gathering can be
hazardous, and U.S. Foreign Service Officers regularly go to great
lengths, under trying and sometimes dangerous conditions, to
investigate reports of human rights abuse, monitor elections, and come
to the aid of individuals at risk, such as political dissidents and
human rights defenders whose rights are threatened by their
governments.

After the embassies completed their drafts, the texts were sent to
Washington for careful review by the Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor, in cooperation with other State Department offices.
As they worked to corroborate, analyze, and edit the reports, the
Department officers drew on their own sources of information. These
included reports provided by U.S. and other human rights groups,
foreign government officials, representatives from the United Nations
and other international and regional organizations and institutions,
and experts from academia and the media. Officers also consulted with
experts on worker rights issues, refugee issues, military and police
matters, women's issues, and legal matters. The guiding principle was
to ensure that all relevant information was assessed as objectively,
thoroughly, and fairly as possible.

The reports in this volume will be used as a resource for shaping
policy, conducting diplomacy, and making assistance, training, and
other resource allocations. They will also serve as a basis for the
U.S. Government's cooperation with private groups to promote the
observance of internationally recognized human rights.

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices cover internationally
recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set
forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These rights
include freedom from torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment or punishment; from prolonged detention without charges;
from disappearance due to abduction or clandestine detention; and from
other flagrant violations of the right to life, liberty, and the
security of the person.

Universal human rights aim to incorporate respect for human dignity
into the processes of government and law. All people have the
inalienable right to change their government by peaceful means and to
enjoy basic freedoms, such as freedom of expression, association,
assembly, movement, and religion, without discrimination on the basis
of race, religion, national origin, or sex. The right to join a free
trade union is a necessary condition of a free society and economy.
Thus the reports assess key internationally recognized worker rights,
including the right of association; the right to organize and bargain
collectively; prohibition of forced or compulsory labor; minimum age
for employment of children; and acceptable work conditions.

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